A song of Death Gods and Direwolves
by Ichko
Summary: Tywin Lannister is saved by our favorite orange-haired reaper five years before the start of the show, and Tywin saw fit to reward him in kind. How will Westeros handle Ichigo Kurosaki, Lord of Castamere? (Chapter 9 re-written)
1. Chapter 1

**A song of Death Gods and Direwolves chapter 1**

**I do not own Bleach or A song of Ice and Fire**

* * *

Tywin Lannister sat in his chair in the ruins of Harrenhal, the lords of the Westerlands seated before him. Out of all these _wise_ and _noble_ men, half of which bore the name Lannister, only a few were people who the old lion could say he held an ounce of respect for.

Besides two of the lord seated at the table, the only other who held his respect in this room was the servant girl. A low born, northerner girl held more respect then different lord of the westerlands in the eyes of their liege lord. Oh the irony.

There was cunning hidden behind those grey eyes and short black hair of hers, and the murderous glances she send him when she though he was not looking were not lost on him.

"Perhaps…we should retire for the night?" asked one of his _loyal subjects_, attempting to conceal the hopefulness of his voice.

Tywin resisted the urge to berate the one that has spoken. For one, he was already tired by their stupidity, having to listen to their suggestions all day in this gods forsaken castle. And it _was_ getting late.

In the end, he waved his hand, dismissing them all, his eyes locked on one of the letter that arrived not an hour earlier.

The old lion rubbed his forehead, his annoyance building by the second as he read each line of said letter.

"You two. Stay." He said, looking at his brother and another lord, Ichigo Kurosaki of Castamere.

_'Ichigo Kurosaki'_ Tywin mussed. He still remembers that day, 5 years ago, when he was out hunting and his party encounter a bandit band, outnumbering his men atlest two to one.

If he closed his eyes now, he could almost see the way that boy, short orange hair on his head, a sharp contrast to his all-black clothing, cut through the bandits, disarming, but not killing them, a strange black sword in his hand.

_'A Lannster always pays his dept'_ the unofficial motto of his house, urged him to reward the boy.

Tywin may not have liked his father, but he agreed with his decision to give the Clagane a keep for saving him. And Tywin did the same, offering the boy the keep of Castamere, or rather the lands of it, for the keep was raised to the ground, by him no less.

The boy accepted, having trouble with the language, his ascent even heavier then foreigners Tywin has met from the Free cities. Within two years, a castle of strange design was raised on the site, half of it stone, the other wood. _Japanese_ style, the boy called it.

It looked peculiar, but he could not deny the effectiveness and the hardship one would face in order to take it.

The boy, man now, have not changed much since then. He grew his orange hair long, holding it tied in a weird way, resembling a horsetail, reaching his lower back. His face was clean, but not from shaving, but lack of beard as a whole.

He still wore all black, having picked it for the color of his house. A strange-looking skull on a field of black, his sigil was, with two white lines crossing in the background.

Neither he, nor Tywin's brother, Kevan, had spoke during the entire meeting, and the old lion could see the urge to face palm both had suppressed upon hearing the many _ingenious_ suggestions of their fellow lords.

Tywin put the letter down, and called for the servant girl to pour them water.

"Arya Stark is missing." The warden of the West said, missing the way the servant girl stiffened.

While his brother widened his eyes, there was no visible reaction from Ichigo. Instead he was staring at the only girl in the room, his face blank.

"How? She is supposed to be in the capital!" asked Kevan, taking the letter Tywin had set on the table.

"Apparently, she had been missing since Ned Stark's execution, and our wise queen did not saw fit to inform us of it. This letter is from Varys, saying she had been heading north with a group of recruits for the wall."

The short-haired girl suddenly began backing off from her position behind Tywin, effectively drawing the attention of all three males in the room.

"What is it girl?" asked the old lion, not hiding the suspicion in his voice.

"Nothing, milord, lost my balance." She quickly covered up, although no one believed her.

The men turned back to the table, Kevan continued to read the letter.

"Varys also says Sansa Stark may not survive for much longer with the treatment Joffrey has been giving her, even with Tyrion stopping him on numerous occasions." Said the younger Lannister brother.

"And if we lose her, with the other girl missing, we lose the key to the North." Said Tywin, not hiding his annoyance at the idiocy going on in the capital. He then turned his gaze at the young lord seated at the table.

"Ichigo, I want you to go ask around if someone has heard of the group of recruits for the wall. If you do find them, you are to bring Arya Stark here. We should find her a husband from the Westerlands…" he mussed, missing the way the girl's face paled behind him.

"Isn't Ichigo the only lord here, at Harrenhal, that is not married?" asked Kevan, putting the letter down.

With Tywin gaining a knowing look in his eyes, Ichigo quickly shock his head.

"No, I will not marry a child." He nearly shouted, finally speaking for the first time that evening.

"You will do your duty. You recently had your twenty-second name day and you are still unmarried. The people are beginning to worry that you will leave no heir. And do not worry for the girl. She will…blossom…in time."

"That still does not make it right! She is a child of what? Thirteen? That had her father killed, possibly in front of her and was forced to travel with a group of criminals on roads swarming with bandits in the middle of a war! And you expect me to marry her. That is cruel, even for you!" kept on shouting Ichigo, unfazed by the fact that he was technically defying his liege lord, a crime punishable by death.

Tywin gave him a hard look. He held some respect for the boy, but his temper could give a Baratheon a run for their money.

"Calm down, Ichigo. We will decide when we finally find her." Spoke Kevan, trying to defuse the young lord's temper directed at his brother.

Ichigo huffed, taking a large gulp of the water the now visibly shaking servant girl had filled his cup with not a second earlier, her gaze on him.

He met her eyes for a second, his angry brow eyes meeting her grey one, trying and failing to conceal the fear hidden behind them.

"If that would be all, my lords." Ichigo said, standing up from the table and heading towards the door, exiting the room with a bang.

"That boy…so many qualities, and many of them wasted because of his temper and honor." Said Tywin, looking at the door.

* * *

Arya could not sleep that night.

For a time, she though she would be save, as save as a girl in a castle full of men can be, as long as she lay low. And here, now, does this letter arrive, with clues that even an imbecile could follow.

She was sure that tomorrow she would be discovered, even before noon.

And then, she would be forced to marry that orange-haired lord.

Even if he did express his displeasure at the prospect of marring her, she still did not like him, not one bit.

'_Stupid idiot. Looks like a girl anyway with that long hair and clean face.' _she though, angrily turning from one side to the other on the itchy hard bed.

She had to escape tonight, even if it meant leaving without Gendry and Hot Pie.

* * *

The moon was shining high when Arya slipped into the courtyard, a cloak over her head, a kitchen knife she had taken during this night's council strapped to her thigh.

Most of the soldiers were asleep, with the ones that were still awake been the sentries, gathered into groups drinking and laughing on the battlements of the ruined fortress.

Arya began moving towards the main gate, keeping close to the walls, constantly looking around for any sign of danger.

Her hands were shaking, both from anxiety and the cold that her cloak did little to help with.

She could already see the gate when a hand roughly grabbed her shoulder, hauling her back onto the ground on her behind.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A lil'servant girl, wonderin late at nigh' ?" asked a soldier in Lannister red, obviously drunk.

"A lil' on the flat side, aint she?" said a second one, coming to stand next to his companion, a grin on his face.

"Why don't ya keep us company for tonigh' ? We promise to keep ya warm!" said the first one, pulling a dagger and moving towards the fallen girl.

"Get away from me!" Scream Arya, suddenly feeling afraid, trying to hit him with her hand, the dagger on her thigh completely forgotten.

The man only grinned, capturing both of her hands with one of his, before beginning to cut away her clothes. No matter how much she flailed around, she could not get loose from the drunken man's hold.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you are doing?!" rang a accented voice though the courtyard. A voice Arya recognized.

Ichigo Kurosaki came storming towards the men, murder in his eyes.

"Oh, nothin' , milord. Jus' some m'night fun, that's all." Said the second male, grinning at the young lord.

"Does she look like she is having fun?!" yelled out Ichigo, coming face to face with the drunken man, said man quickly losing his grin.

"I'm sorry, milord, we jus' though-" he began.

"You should be happy I am not Tywin, least both of you would be on spike on the walls, and not just the heads." Growled out the orange head, trying to contain his rage.

He suddenly punched the man, square in the face, before turning to the other one, still over the downed girl, and kicking him in the abdomen, sending him flying a good two meters.

Ichigo glared at the two men on the ground before moving towards the girl, just now realizing she is the same girl as the one from the council that night.

Arya quickly brought the cloak around herself and stood up hastily. She, at lest to herself, was not a damsel in distress, and did not need help on every step.

"You alright?" Ichigo asked, genuinely concerned. At her nod, he continued.

"C'mon, I'll escort you back to your room."

Arya cast a final glance at the exit and her possible freedom from the man standing not two feet away from her, before turning and walking towards her room, said man falling into step next to her.

They walked in complete silence, the little Stark girl casting occasional glances at the man next to her.

When they finally reached her room, she was unsure of what to do. Deciding that although she would have found a way to get free, he did help her and deserved some recognition.

"Thank you, milord." She said, opening the door to the servant room she was staying in.

"No problem" was the response. Arya peak through the gap in the door as it was closing, seeing the back of her possible future husband, his long orange hair contrasting sharply with his black clothing, before huffing and closing the door.

_'Still looks like a girl.'_

* * *

**Well... here it is. First Chapter of A song of Death Gods and Direwolves.**

**Now, first thing first. Matters of how Ichigo got to Westeros and what his power state is would be explained in future chapters. ****Second, I aged Arya, and only her, for rather obvious reasons. **

**I _might_ have made Arya a little too soft in this chapter...**

**For Ichigo's house sigil think think Ichigo's shinigami badge, only in black and white.**

**As always construction, grammar or story mistake reviews are welcome.**

**Thank you for reading.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**A song of Death Gods and Direwolves chapter 2**

**I do not own Bleach or A song of Ice and Fire**

* * *

It was early in the morning that one can find the lord of Castamere on the ruined battlements of Harrenhal, looking towards where the sun would rise in a few hours.

The young lord appeared to be deep in thought, his strange clothing rustling in the gentle wind.

It was barely five years since the mysterious appearance of Ichigo Kurosaki on the continent of Westeros.

Since then, he had risen to the position of a lord of a small land, although rich in gold. He used said gold to raise himself a keep in the design of his home world, and to rebuild the coastal town adjacent to the keep.

Once all the building was done, he turned to the welfare of, at the time, the small population that inhabited his land.

His _fellow_ lords sneering at him, thinking him weak and a fool for caring for what the common folk think or do. But the people loved him for it.

But that was not what was on his mind.

Ichigo was always trying to be kind, honorable, compassionate, even if his temper got him into trouble for it. And now, here he was been forced to find a girl of thirteen and ,possibly, marry her.

'_If only I was back on Earth…'_ but sadly he was not.

On one hand, he was honor-bound to obey his liege lord, even if did voice, quite vocally, his displeasure at Tywin's decision. He did not want to find the girl, for what will follow would surely cause her pain, and to him-shame.

Yes, in the eyes of the people of Westeros it was quite natural. An arranged marriage between a lord and a lady, even if that lady was a little too young. But to Ichigo, it did matter. It was dishonorable, disgusting.

He felt lower than dirt just by thinking about it.

And then, there was Tywin's cup bearer which he saved last night. Said girl was definitely noble, there was no question about it, but she had a temper, which although not apparent in her short conversations with the lord of Casterly Rock, can still be spotted by the more keen observer.

She was hiding something, but if Tywin did no press the issue, he felt no need to further ponder it.

Deciding to go back to sleep for the few hours he had before he had to get back up and look for the girl he did not want to find.

* * *

Arya was removing dishes from the table in the hall of Harrenhal, the lords of the Westerlands just having finished their breakfast. She kept on glancing at her future would-be-husband, the same man that saved her last night.

He seemed deep in thought, barely touching his food.

Arya could not stop herself from glaring at him throughout the whole of breakfast, willing him to die by just looking in his general direction.

He was the last of the lords to leave the room, leaving only Tywin and Arya in it.

"What were you thinking, girl? Glaring at Lord Kurosaki like that?" suddenly asked the old lion.

"Nothing, my lord. He is just… strange." She answered, trying to find a way to cover up her mistake of letting Tywin see her hateful stare.

"Ha! Strange doesn't even begin to describe it. He never smiles, having that glare constantly etched into his features, yet the commoners love him. A foreigner he is, I granted him lands for saving my life." Arya could not help but be interested in the story.

"Castamere… a ruin at the time, now travelers say it is more beautiful than Highgarden, other says it is more impenetrable than King's landing."

"If only he did not had that temper of his… he is more honor-bound than a Stark and more hotheaded than a Baratheon."

There was silence for a few seconds, the old Lannister looking into the fire in the hearth, while Arya was looking at where Ichigo was seated.

"Clean up, girl, and you are free for now" said Tywin.

* * *

Ichigo was in the muddy courtyard, his eyes look at the men around him.

Deciding to finally get on with his dreadful task, Ichigo willed his legs to move towards some Lannister scouts that have just returned from their morning run.

"Where is your commander?" he asked to the nearest scout.

Said man turned around sharply, ready to yell at the stranger:

"What the he- oh, milord, I am sorry! He is over by the stables." The men said, cowering beneath Ichigo's glare.

Not saying another word to the man, Ichigo began walking towards the stables on the far end of the yard.

The man he was looking for was in in his late 30's with a balding head and missing teeth, clad in red leather armor.

"Hey." Said Ichigo, catching the man's attention.

"Aye, milord?"

"I am looking for a group of Night Watch recruits. They should be traveling along the King's road and be nearing us by now. Do you have anything to report?"

"Aye, m'lord! Ser Amory along with a few men attacked 'em not three days ago. Killed the Black brother leadin 'em and a few others, took the rest prisoners."

"Thank you."

"My pleasure, milord." Said the old man, giving a toothless grin.

The young lord turned and began making his way to the dungeons.

* * *

Arya entered the warm kitchen, somehow not as ruined as the rest of the castle. There were a large number of servants running left and right, already preparing lunch for the thousands of soldiers in the castle.

Large cauldrons filled with 'soup' that looked absolutely tasteless were stirred over roaring fires. Next to them, meals, seemingly from another world, were prepared for the o-so-noble lords of the Westerlands.

That is where she found Hot Pie, stuffing his mouth with bread he probably made himself. The young Stark moved to sit beside him, taking a piece of bread and began munching on it.

"Why are you so down?" asked the fat boy through mouthfuls of bread.

She was silent for a time, quietly eating her bread, her grey eyes on the blackened stone floor. Suddenly springing into action, she grabbed another loaf of the food she has been eating before dragging the chubby boy standing beside her towards the smithy.

* * *

"Hey Gendry! We brought you some food!" said Arya, looking at the young black-haired boy hammering on a heated sword.

Said boy looked at Arya and her companion before cooling the sword in a pool of water nearby and turning to them, taking a rag in his hands to wipe them.

"Hey, milady!" said the blue-eyes boy, taking the bread from Arya.

"I told you not to call me that!" whispered the girl through gritted teeth, hitting Gendry in the process, making him nearly drop his food. "Especially now..,"

"Arry?" Gendry looked at her questionably, resorting to using her old name.

"A letter arrived from the capital, telling them that I have escaped with the prisoners for the Wall… It would not take much for them to find me." She said, her voice losing volume with each word said.

"And to top it all, Lord Tywin wants to marry me off to some orange-haired idiot!" Gendry was unsure of how to react. He would be lying if he said he felt nothing for the petite girl in front of him, yet she was a lady, a lady in 'hiding', but a lady nonetheless, and arranged marriage was expected of her.

"Orange-haired… Lord Kurosaki?" asked Gendry, trying to change the topic.

"Yeah…him…" she said, her eyes constantly darting around, as if expecting said lord to appear around the corner and take her away by force.

"I've had to do arrow-heads for a few of his men, the ones clad in black with a while skull on their clothes, they were all good men. Perhaps he is too." Said the black-haired blacksmith, trying to cheer up his friend.

"Where's Jaqen?" Arya asked suddenly. Gendry only shrudded while Hot Pie answered through a mouthful of bread:

"I saw him." He said, not completely answering. Arya rushed towards him and pulled his cheeks.

"Where?!" she said, beginning to twist the fat boy's cheeks.

"By the gatehouse!" Before he even finished, Arya let him go and ran towards the gatehouse, leaving Gendry with a stunned expression and Hot Pie rubbing his now red cheeks.

* * *

"Tywin's cup bearer?" asked Ichigo, uncertain if he heard correctly.

"Aye, milord. The girl was in the pen in the courtyard with the rest of the prisoners for the Nights Watch. Lord Lannister recognized she is a girl and ordered for her to be his cup bearer. She was the only girl that we know of in that group. Would you like to check the other prisoners if they are…females?" asked the warden of the prison, the cell in Harrenhal overflowing with people.

"That will not be necessary." Said Ichigo, turning sharply and heading towards the main hall, where the girl usually is, along with Tywin, his cloak billowing behind him, the glare on his face deepening.

'_So…it was her all along…god damn it…'_

* * *

Arya reached the gatehouse within minutes, yet there was no sign of Jaqen. She was looking around frantically, now that she was out in the open.

A hand suddenly grasped her shoulder, making her jump.

"A girl is frightened." Said the red-haired man with a white streak through it.

"I am not afraid. Help me escape! Now! " Arya demanded of the man.

"Help was not promised, lovely girl. Only death."

"Very well… Jaqen H'ghar." The carefree face of the assassin quickly changed to a serious one.

"A girl gives a man his own name?"

"That's right."

* * *

Ichigo entered the main hall, only to find Tywin alone, looking at some maps.

"Where is your cup bearer?" he asked his lord, disregarding any formality.

"Why? Have you taken a liking to the girl? I dismissed her some time ago." Ichigo turned to leave before stopping at the door.

For a second, he thought of not telling Tywin the truth, hiding the poor girl, but he was honor bound to follow his lord.

"That cup bearer… is Arya Stark."

Tywin abruptly stood up, his eyes hardening.

"We must find her at once before she tries to escape." He said, storming out of the room, calling for guards.

* * *

"Unname me." Said Jaqen, hissing through his teeth.

"Help me escape." Was the quick response.

"That would require more than one death." Retorted the red-headed man.

"Fine! Jaqen H'ghar." Said Arya, raising her chin defiantly

"Why is a girl in a sudden rush to leave?" questioned Jaqen, before turning his eyes to something behind the little girl.

"Arya Stark." A voice rang through the courtyard.

Aryas blood froze. She turned slowly towards the source of the voice, only to find Tywin Lannister, flanked by at lest thirty Lannister men with their weapons drawn. Next to him stood the man she was sure was the one that had discovered her identity.

"Put away your weapons!" said Ichigo in a strong voice, glaring at the red-clad men surrounding the petite girl.

"Don't act righteous! It was you who told him, wasn't it?" Arya yelled in the orange-head's direction while gesturing to the Lannister lord. Ichigo met her eyes for a moment before looking away.

Arya looked behind her only to find that Jaqen had already disappeared.

"Enough! Lady Arya, if you would follow us. A room would be prepared for you, along with a bath." Began Tywin, quickly getting tired of this scene.

"You would be our treasured guest, for now."

"Your prisoner, you mean." Spat out Arya.

"And didn't you already decide to marry me to that idiot over there." She said, pointing almost accusingly at Ichigo.

Tywin finally losing his patience said with a voice that left no room for argument:

"If you are so eager to marry lord Kurosaki, then you shall do so on the morrow! Guards! Have the servants prepare a room for Lady Arya here."

As the guards began more or less dragging the now screaming Arya away, they passed near Ichigo, who has not moved an inch, his head down.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered just as she passed near him.

* * *

**It was kinda hard writing this chapter, so sorry if it was not that good.**

**I picture Ichigo been the honorable guy, of course, but here we have following personal honor versus following socially-accepted honor or simply put Ichigo is torn between protecting Arya or keeping his oath of obeying Tywin.**

**So, with trying to describe internal struggle, and trying to make this chapter somewhat dynamic, it did not turn out exactly good in the end.**

**Special thanks to saofan3064 for his thorough review of my poor writing.**

**As always construction, grammar or story mistake reviews are welcome.**

**Thank you for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A song of Death Gods and Direwolves Chapter 3**

**I do not own A song of Ice and Fire or Bleach**

* * *

Arya was in the ruined Sept of Harrenhal, clad in a simple grey dress with large sleeves that looked as if it belonged to a servant girl, a white cloak with a hastily-stitched grey direwolf on her shoulders.

It was her wedding day, and it was not going the way she had envisioned it.

Yes, she was no Sansa, daydreaming all day long about knights in shining armor and the court plays, but that was not to say that the younger Stark daughter did not have her own vision of what her wedding would be like.

Arya somehow always imagined she would be marrying back in Winterfell (if she married at all) and that it would be her husband taking her house's colors, not the other way around. A small, northerner wedding, nothing too extravagant, with no one but family as witnesses, a far cry from most if not all of Sansa's dreams.

And yet, here she was not, been married of like some southerner lady in the ways of the Seven. She originally planned to resist all the way, and would have, been the little she-wolf that she is, had it not been for Tywin having a little talk with her.

* * *

Arya was brought back to the hall she served as cup bearer in for the last few days, Lannister men on either of her sides.

On the far side of the old table stood the old lion himself, his face impassive as ever.

"Sit." He said, not raising his voice, yet leaving little room for argument.

As Arya was taking a seat, groaning in frustration at the stupid dress they made her wear, Tywin waved away the guards, leaving them alone in the room.

"Your father died of honor…not bad girl, not bad."Arya glared at the Lannister, angered by his remark.

"You are a clever girl. I trust you understand the situation you are in. Lord Kurosaki is the best match you could have ever hoped for, considering you are a second daughter. His house is the second wealthiest in the realm after all. And his army, although small, is extremely powerful."

"You would have me marry some completely unknown stranger! My father promised me he would let me marry someone of my choosing! Not this!" Arya said, her voice not concealing the anger.

"And did you know that your own brother had you betrothed to a Frey so that he may cross the Twins? And not one of the main line at that. Even if you can boss him around, he would have no power in the crossing."

The little she-wolf could only gape at the old lion.

'_No…Robb…how could you…father promised…'_

"You were sold for a bridge." said Tywin, driving another nail in the coffin.

_For a bridge. For a bridge. For a bridge._ The words echoes through her head. Arya felt nothing, like nothing. Been sold like that, by her own family, was a serious blow to her spirit.

"You can choose girl. You can resist here, and if your brother somehow miraculously wins this war, you would marry one of those weasels. Or you could marry lord Kurosaki, here and now, and be something so much more." Said Tywin.

"Ofcourse there is the danger of something happening to your dear sister should you fail to comply." The old Lannister stood up and went over to the hearth, starring into the fire that was slowly dying.

"Guards!" the two Lannister men from before rushed back into the room, look almost alarmed.

"Escort Lady Stark back to her room." He said, not turning to look at her or the guards.

"Women in Castamere are said to have more freedom even than Dorne…" mused Tywin aloud just as Arya passed next to him.

* * *

It was approaching sundown, the sun barely shining through the massive hole in the ceiling of the sept, casting a golden glow on the blackened stone.

Arya was walking in small steps, shaking with every single one. All lords currently at Harrenhal had gathered to witness the event.

'_Or were ordered.'_ Though the petite girl venomously. She could see the men of house Kurosaki flanking her path to the altar, clad in strange robe-like black clothing with a white skull on their shoulders.

What surprised Arya was that nearly a fourth of them were actually female. That made her feel somewhat encouraged, that she would not be a caged bird, not entirely.

She could only not understand whiy some of them were giving her looks of jealousy.

At the end of the isle she saw her would be husband and could not hold back her glare.

Ichigo was out of his armor, clad in similar black clothing to his men and women. His face remained neutral, a small scowl on his own adoring it, but a more perceptive person would easily see the sadness in his brown eyes. A black cloak could be seen in his hands and Arya could not hold back a gulp at seeing it.

She finally stood next to him, neither exchanging a word.

The ceremony was short, the vows as basic as they can be. It was then that the real part came and Arya felt herself tear up.

Tywin stepped fort and removed her white cloak with a grey direwolf on it. Arya started clutching it at first, tears now openly streaming down her face, her mount moving as if to repeat 'No' over and over again, yet no sound came out.

Tywin gave her a look that could almost have been a sympathetic one before nearly yanking the cloak off of her.

It was then that Ichigo stepped fort and swiftly brought the enormous black cloak around her shoulder. Arya could not tell the size of it as she was coming, but now that it was on her, she could see that it was much bigger.

Taking a closer look, she saw that it was not actually a cloak, but that strange clothing that her husband wore, only sleeveless.

_Husband._ Arya felt her heart fill with a wide range of emotion just at the mention of the word.

There was sadness, betrayal and mostly- anger.

The tear now nothing but stains on her face, she turned to glare at Ichigo, only to find him not looking at her but to the lords behind them, or specifically- Tywin, who nodded at the black-clad lord.

The orange-head extended his hand towards Arya, still not looking anywhere near her.

The now lady Kurosaki took the offered hand and squeezed it with as much force as she could.

Ichigo, unfazed at his…wife's stubbornness led her to the great hall, where today they would have the seat of honor instead of the old lion.

* * *

The feast was over quickly, been more of a special dinner then a feast. There was little music and Ichigo was uncertain just how many times he heard the Rains of Castamere.

Neither he, nor his lady, now rules of that castle from the song, said any word during the feast, neither to each other or any of the other lords.

They stood passively on the end of the table, neither touching their food nor looking at one another.

Ichigo actually stole a glance at his little wife, suppressing a sigh as he did.

Her attitude and spirit, her glare, hell, even her body and hair reminded him of another girl from his world. It was almost painful to look at her, the orange-head feeling a deep stab in his hearth each time that he did.

Feeling a cold wind from one of the many holes in the wall behind him, Ichigo decided that it was time to retire for the night.

Not saying a word, he stood up and extended a hand towards his wife.

Arya was no fool. She knew what was coming. She had snuck out many times around Winter Town and once even snuck into a brothel. She saw what men do to women there and somehow had the feeling that this was what awaited her.

_'Better than a long-nosed Frey'_ though the little Stark-now-Kurosaki. Arya was still disgusted by the Frey from her journey south when Robert was still king and when her father was still…alive.

She took Ichigo's extended hand, squeezing it with all her strength once again. She started to rise, but used the opportunity of the orange-head not looking her way to hide a knife inside her dress's sleeves.

Arya felt grateful that Tywin had forbidden even the mention of a bedding ceremony.

* * *

They finally reached their chamber, one of the not-so-destroyed rooms in this ruin called a castle.

No one followed them, and there were no guards to be seen anywhere. The room itself was not something special. A hearth with a fire burning in it, two small windows and a bed, barely big enough for both of them.

They have long since let go of each other, and as soon as they entered Ichigo moved to the window, the one closest to the fire.

For a moment Arya was entranced by the lighting effects the fire had on his long hair, today left to flow down freely over his shoulders, released from its usual style.

"When are you going to do it?" asked Ichigo suddenly, speaking for the first time since the vows were said.

Arya began to glare at him, thinking he meant something to do with the bedding, and her undressing.

"The knife." He clarified, looking at her sleeve.

The girl was stunned for a moment. _'How did he see?'_

"Have I ever done something to make you hate me?"

Arya tried to come up with some response, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"You told Tywin!" she said, pulling the knife from her sleeve.

"I was honor bound to do so. "was the short response, Ichigo unfazed by the blade in her hand.

"The Lannisters don't have honor!" Arya shouted out and charged at Ichigo, intend on killing him.

The young lord easily twisted her hand, making her drop the knife and putting her up against the wall.

Her head turned sideways, Arya could do nothing but glare at the one holding her, her silvery-grey eyes filled with anger.

"Listen here, midget, we are in this mess together, and contrary to what you believe, I did not want this." Arya was about to say something before Ichigo let her go.

"But I can promise you this. I will not force you against your will. I will protect you."

Arya huffed and went to the bed, but not before picking the knife up, getting beneath the sheets with all her clothes on, even the black cloak of house Kurosaki. She sent one final glare at the direction of the orange-haired man before turning the other way and closing her eyes.

Ichigo looked at her for a few more seconds before walking towards the hearth and sitting down on the floor next to it, putting his sword in front of him.

He looked once more at Arya's form, barely visible from his position and he smiled.

Ichigo closed his eyes and began falling into what he was sure would be an uncomfortable sleep. It was his wedding night and he was going to have to sleep on the cold floor with nothing but the fire that will die soon to keep him warm..

As he was falling asleep he though back to the…argument he had with his little, short-tempered wife.

For a second, he felt like back home, in Karakura.

For a second he almost called her…Rukia.

* * *

**Another one done. Ichigo was somewhat passive in this chapter but I can't come up with something better.**

**Little Arya is now a Kurosaki. What will happen next?**

**As always construction, grammar or story mistake reviews are welcome.**

**Thank you for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A song of Death Gods and Direwolves chapter 4**

**I do not own A song of Ice and Fire or Bleach**

* * *

Arya awoke to the sun shining directly on her head through one of the small windows in the room she was in. She slowly unfolded the heavy covers she had wrapped around herself, as if to shield herself from her husband.

At the mention of her _beloved_, she instantly stood up alerted and scanned the room, only to find it empty. There was nothing but silence in the room, excluding the occasional cracking from the dying fire.

The petite girl, now free from the heavy covers, took of her wedding cloak, more like a sleeveless dress, and stared at the strange white skull on the black fabric's backside.

Looking at it, Arya felt tear form up in her eyes. She felt as if she was betraying her family just by looking at the thing. She felt as if she was no longer a Stark of Winterfell.

Anger and sadness were mixing inside Arya's soul. She felt her tears finally falling and could not believe it. For a second she stayed like that, head bowed and tears dropping onto the white skull of her new House before, in one swift movement, she threw the black fabric into the dying fire, said fire instantly returning to life.

Arya looked at it burn with satisfaction, the tears now nothing more but stains upon her cheeks.

As it was burning, the silver-eyes girls began to wander what to do next. She had not seen Gendry and Hot Pie since the day before yesterday, when she was looking for Jaqen, just before she was discovered.

The now Lady Kurosaki was uncertain how would they react to her new status, but deciding to go see them in the end, she went for the door. But first, she had to find some pants so that she can get out of the torture device that people call a dress.

* * *

Arya was in one of the corridors heading towards the courtyard when a voice stopped her.

"Good morning, lady Kurosaki. I trust you slept well?" it was Tywin, standing behind her, his hand on the handle of a door he just had closed.

If one looked closely, he or she would almost be able to see the hint of a smile on the face old Lion. Almost.

The grey-eyed girl glared at him, not saying anything at first.

"Very well, _milord_." Began Arya, using the lowborn honorific "You don't happen to know where I could find some more…comfortable clothing. I find this dress rather restricting."

"You would have to take that up with your husband. He is in the yard I believe, training. Shall we?" he said, gesturing towards the end of the corridor where indeed sword clashes can be heard.

Arya reluctantly followed Tywin, and when she reached the end she was stunned by what she saw.

Her supposedly girly husband was shirtless, with nothing but his pants that looked more like a half-dress, a strange black sword in one hand, and he was fighting against 3 opponent from his own forces, wielding similar but normal-colored swords and spears. What made Arya even more stunned was the fact that all three opponents were females.

As for the fight, it resembled a dance, a dance of black and white. Even in the dirt of the courtyard, it was beautiful to be behold.

She then heard some men snigger to the side.

"Heh, what does he expect, fighting against girls. Even if they were 10 he would still win."

To her surprise, her husband then raised his hand, signaling the end of the fight, and turned to the one that made the remark.

"You think you are better then them just because are a male?" he asked, his voice even.

"Well…milord…yes."

"Very well then. You and your two companions against Celia here. Or are you afraid?" there was silence in the courtyard, many gaping openly at the bold statement of the young lord.

The three males looked towards Tywin, as if asking for confirmation, at which he nodded. They slowly moved towards the girl in the middle of the yard.

The girl, unlike her semi-naked lord, was clad in purple leather armor above black clothing like the ones that all Castamere soldiers wore. Instead of a curved one-sided sword, she wielded a strange weapon, part spear, part sword. (1) She had no helmet, allowing people to see that she had blue eyes and long blond hair which was held in a similar way to the usual style of her lord.

Ichigo then started walking away from his position between the two groups but not before passing next to Celia and saying loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Try not to main them too much."

The three male combatants, apparently angered by the last remark, barely waited for the young lord to leave the area before charging at the girl, which by had now lowered her spear, grasping it in both hands and pointing it forward.

The first one came charging, sword raised high in one hand.

Celia easily deflected the blow before rotating the whole spear as she moved forward so that she hit the man with the dull end on the back of his head, sending him face first into the mud.

The second one came in them, sword raised in a similar fashion to his now dirty companion.

The girl still had her spear with the blunt edge forward. She thruster it towards his torso, and as she apparently expected, he deflected the blow to the side, giving Celia the momentum to rotate the spear once again and bring the sharp edge on his calf, the blade easily slicing through the leather boots he wore.

The man, as if tripped, joined his companion in the mud, but the blond girl paid him no heed. Celia now focused on her final opponent, and without breaking her movement she thrusted the spear again, this time blade forward, towards her opponent's neck, stopping millimeters from it.

The man in question had not even raised his sword before he was forced to drop it so that he may raise his hands in surrender.

There was nothing but silence in the courtyard as everyone stood in shock, gaping at the scene in front of them.

A girl, supposedly a member of the weaker gender, a gender that is supposed to stay at home and raise children, just took down three Lannister soldiers within less them five seconds with a spear, a weapon that was though inconvenient for singular use.

A clapping suddenly broke the silence and everyone turned to see that it was Tywin himself doing it.

"Well done." Was all he said his clapping losing in frequency before stopping.

Celia flicked her spear, the blood from the second man's calf flying onto the ground, before she bowed at the waist towards her overlord.

The people that had gathered, finally getting over their shock, began slowly dispersing, each one in a heated conversation with the closest one.

Ichigo dismissed the three girls he has been sparring with before picking a black robe from a nearby cart and putting it on, covering his naked chest, before moving towards where Tywin was standing with a still shocked Arya.

"Perhaps women trained by you should be appointed masters of arms instead of those idiot knights that we have."Tywin said, his tone making it hard to say if he was serious or sarcastic.

"Now, I have matters to attend to and your lady wife has something to ask of you." At the mention of her, Arya instantly snapped out of her shock and glared at the old Lion, again.

As Tywin turned to leave, Ichigo shifted his curious gaze towards his…wife.

The orange-head was still uncertain about exactly how he felt about the petite girl in a white dress in front of him. In all the five years he has been lord of, arguably, the most prosperous sub-region of the seven kingdoms, the though of marriage never crossed his mind.

He knew, even Tywin himself said so at several occasions, that one day he would have to marry. What Ichigo never expected for it to be so out-of-the-blue and to such a young girl at that. Not to mention such an unique one, by Westeros standards at least.

From the short time he was around her, he never saw any other expression on her face besides a glare, but then again, was he really the one to make such a statement, considering most people say he was exactly the same.

What disturbed him was how prone to violence she was. Yes, she had her father killed, possibly in front of her, but then again so did Ichigo had his mother killed, again, in front of him. Yet unlike her, who attacks everyone she deems an enemy, Ichigo took out his anger on the Grand Fisher, unlike Arya, if her last night's attempt to kill him was anything to go by.

Snapping out of his thoughs, he locked eyes with her defiant grey ones.

"Just say what you want already. I clearly see you don't want to spend more time than necessary around me."

"I need something to wear. I can't stand this…dress."

"That's all?"

"And…can you…train me…?" Arya whispered in a small voice, her head bowed, not meeting Ichigo's eyes just like she did not a minute ago.

"Speak louder, midget."

"I said I want you to teach me how to fight, idiot!" Arya shouted out in the courtyard, loud enough for everyone to hear her.

Ichigo looked at her curiously, although he would be lying if he did not expect that already.

"Train you in what, exactly?" asked the young lord. After all, there were many different martial arts.

"That thing she did with the spear! How can you be such an idiot?"

"First off, midget, it's called naginata," he began, ignoring Arya's annoyance at the name he keeps on calling her "and second, it would be better of one of the girls taught you that. I taught them the basics while they developed it more. They are better than me with a spear, as you called it."

"So will you? Get one of them to train me?" Arya asked, her voice hopeful at the prospect of learning to fight, from a woman at that, and not from the orange-haired idiot in front of her.

Ichigo sighed and began walking away, leaving Arya somewhat depressed.

"Well? Aren't you coming?" he asked, turning his head to look back at Arya. Her grey eyes instantly brightened and she began running after her husband, tripping many times on the dress she kept tugging up.

* * *

Ichigo found Celia on a small square in the sector of the ruined castle designated for his army just as she was putting back her naginata on a weapon rack next to other similar weapons.

Said sector was nothing more but a small part of the wall, along with a few houses that were surprisingly intact, if blackened a little. The streets between them were also surprisingly paved, a sharp contrast to the other parts of the ruin where everything was dirt and mud.

It would seem that the Kurosaki forces had pulled the long straw.

"Yo, Celia!" shouted out Ichigo, his informality surprising Arya.

"Yes, milord?" she asked, turning to face him and bowing at the waist.

"For the last time, it's Ichigo. And stop bowing already." He said, clearly annoyed.

"Yes, mil-Ichigo."

"Listen, my…wife here wants to learn how to fight like you do. Do you think you can train her?"

"It would be my honor, Ichigo!" she said, bowing once again much to Ichigo's annoyance.

"And find her some clothes, please. She keeps complaining about the dress…" Arya bristled at the remark, making her sound like some whiny southerner lady.

Ichigo was about to leave before turning towards Arya and saying:

"Try not to cut yourself, shorty."

"I will cut you…flame head!"

The three were silent before Celia quietly started giggling at the exchange between her lord and lady.

Ichigo, on the other hand, had a confused expression:

"Flame head? Really?"

Sighing once more, he turned to leave and began walking away.

"See you are lunch, Arya." He said, not looking back at her, finally using her real name.

"Come, milady. Let us find you some more comfortable clothes"

Arya nodded before turning to look at the retreating form of her husband, his long orange hair swaying with every step he took.

_'He is not all bad...still looks like a girl'_

* * *

**Kinda short one, only 2000 words.**

**(1) naginata- a J****apanese**** spear, part spear - part sword really. Just google it if you have trouble imagining it.**

**The fight was hard to write, and I fear it may have been rather bad. It was my first more detailed fight scene after all.  
**

**Having trained Kendo, I had problems writing it because, one- fighting and writing the fight is quite different, two- it was naginata-do, even if it was a more primitive version of it, and three- I had enourmous trouble describing the whole movements without them sounding..err...wooden? robotic? You get the picture.**

**As always construction, grammar or story mistake reviews are welcome.**

**No, really, reviews are quite helpful :) . **

**Thank you for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A song of Death Gods and Direwolves Chapter 5**

**I do not own A song of Ice and Fire or Bleach**

* * *

Ichigo was seated at the lunch table in one of the hall of Harrenhal, slowly eating while trying to ignore the conversation going on around him.

It was not that the conversation was particularly insulting. Rather, it was annoying the young lord with its stupidity and shallowness. It started as simple jests at the orange-head about his wedding night, not really surprising when one takes into consideration the westerosi tradition, or more specifically- the bedding.

It then turned towards his wife, which led to the current theme of the conversations- the Starks.

Luckily for Ichigo, Tywin entered the room just in time, putting an end to all idiotic conversations up to the point.

"Where is your wife?" asked the old lion, gazing towards Ichigo with a look that said he already knew the answer.

"Training." He answered nonetheless.

"You let your wife, your child wife pretend be a knight?" asked some balding old lord, Ichigo never bothered remembering their names.

"First, she is training, yes, and second, not to be a knight." The orange-head answered, not looking anywhere near the old lord.

"Then what?" he continued arrogantly.

Everyone was looking at Ichigo now, interested in his answer, even Tywin displayed a tingle of curiosity in his eyes…or it could have been just a light reflection.

It was apparent that most, if not all of them had heard of the little stunt that happened this morning.

Sighing heavily, Ichigo learned back in his chair.

"The correct term is samurai, meaning one who serves from my native language. It is similar to a knight, yet when a samurai breaks one of his vows, he is required to commit a suicide to regain his honor, least he will be viewed as no different than a peasant that has stolen a sword."

"What my…wife has begun training is usually something in which onna-bugeishas, the female samurais, specialize. The weapon is called naginata and the techniques- naginata-do. That's about it."

"And how is this nagipaza-do thing different than what a master-of-arms would teach you?" that old lord continued to pester Ichigo even after his lengthy explanation, butchering the name in the process.

"Because unlike those idiots which have taught you to use strength behind a strike, any of the samurai techniques focus on that- technique. They focus on speed and precision rather than brute pounding."

"Why hit with strength and tire down when you can just flick your wrist at the precise moment and cut where you normally would not be able? Why block a hit, shocking your muscles, when you can just dodge it."

"In a strength against speed, speed always wins."

"This is absurd! How can you say strength is useless?!" shouted out another, this time a younger one, if the fact that his hair still had color to it.

"First off, I did not say strength was unimportant. Second, let me rephrase it for you."  
"What's the point of been able to crush a man's skull with a single hand if you cannot bring that hand down in time because you are too slow?"

That finally managed to get the point across and silence descended upon the table. It was then that Arya entered the hall, clad in the same black clothing that her husband wore.

Her hair was more disheveled than usual, and she a slight skipping to her step, obviously been happy. Taking quick note of the uneasy and awkward feeling around the room, she quietly sat down next to Ichigo and began eating as silently as she can.

Tywin kept looking at Arya for a few more seconds before beginning to speak.

"Now that we are all here, we can finally get down to work." He began

"Stannis Baratheon is 5 days away from the capital, and he outnumbers the city defenders quite severally. If nothing changes, the city will fall."

"And the Queen-Reagent "- no one could deny the slight edge that Tywin's voice had upon pronouncing his daughter's title-"is too stubborn to retreat."

"When are we marching then?" asked Kevan, one of the few daring to speak around the old lion when not spoken to.

"We are staying here." He replied, surprising everyone that he would not be going south to save his daughter and grandson's lives

"Lord Kurosaki, on the other hand, will."

Tywin turned towards Ichigo, who in turn was looking at him questionably, as if not believing what he was hearing.

"You will take your men and half of the Lannister forces and march down south. You will meet with the Tyrell army along the way and assume command of it from that pompous fool Loras Tyrell. He might be good at pointing a lance at a tournament, but he is yet to prove himself in real battle."

"You will also be taking your wife with you, putting some distance between her and the young wolf. Who knows what foolhardy thing that boy will do when he learns we have his sister here…"

Tywin said that as if Arya was not in the room and was not currently glaring at him.

"And when do we leave?" asked Ichigo in a resigned voice.

"In an hour."

"The men cannot mobilize in that short time."

"Fully agreed. Which is why they have been doing so in the past two hours."

Sighing heavily, Ichigo stood up and turned towards his wife.

"C'mon, midget. We have work to do."

"But I'm not done yet!" said Arya through a mouthful, having gone back to eating after growing tired from glaring at Tywin.

Not saying another word, the orange-head took his petite wife by the collar of her kimono and started dragging the kicking and screaming lady out of the room, much to the shock and amusement of some of the other lords.

* * *

Ichigo was in the muddy, dirty yard of Harrenhal, clad in his full armor, getting ready to mount.

The news that he was leaving took him off-guard, and the fact that he was in command of quite a sizable force put a lot of pressure on the young lord's shoulders.

The orange-haired man might be a hot-head, but he was no fool. He knew his capabilities, and commanding an army of this size was not included in his qualities, or so he though.

His forces, if not something else, were loyal, some would say up to the point of foolishness. The improvements to living standards and personal rights can really motivate one to fight for a cause, even if not his own. Add that to the fact that they were, unquestionably, the best warriors in the Lannister host, and you get one very respected, loved, and to some extend-fear lord Kurosaki. Well, to the common folk at least.

His _fellow_ lords look down on him for so many reasons that there are not enough stars in the sky for every one of them.

Beginning with the fact that he was a commoner-turned-noble, to him giving more rights to the people, to him trying to make females equal to males.

Even for the fact that his soldiers were infinitely better than any of theirs, not that they would ever admit that.

But that was not on Ichigo's mind. The cause of his current headache was his little wife, standing on a horse next to him with her head held high, a naginata which she claimed as her own clutched in her hand.

Just taking a look at her made him not even consider making her put the weapon down, let along travel in a more lady-like fashion.

His ears still hurt from the tantrum that she threw as soon as they were out of the room earlier. She ranted about Ichigo interrupting her much-needed lunch, her anger at Tywin about putting more and more distance between her and her brother and mother, which in turned let to her ranting about the wedding, which eventually led to her complaining about Ichigo…to Ichigo…

Sighing heavily, Ichigo mounted and took a look around at the men and women around him. The Kurosaki troops represented only three thousand out of the twelve thousand that are to travel down south and meet up with the Tyrell host before advancing to King's Landing, hopefully before Stannis gets there.

Checking again to make sure that the letter which Tywin gave him was secure before Ichigo turned towards the gates and ordered for the men to start moving. Said letter was for Tyrion, with orders which not even Ichigo knew what were.

It would seem that the old lion did not trust ravens much.

Four days it would take for them to reach the capital, maybe more depending on the weather. But that mattered little to Ichigo. He was entrusted with protecting his liege lord's daughter and grandchildren, and while he may not even closely like their political actions, honor bound him to protect them, both personal and noble.

* * *

It was their first night since leaving the ruin known once known as the greatest fortress in the land, and as luck would have it, it started raining. Heavily.

A camp was hastily set, no one bothering to unpack the heavy trunks as they would move out early in the morning.

In the command tent, currently occupied by Ichigo and Arya, there was nothing but two mats which will be used for sleeping, two chairs and a table with a few candles and two maps on it, one of the crowns land and one of King's landing.

Ichigo was looking closely at the map of the capital, trying to figure out where Stannis would most likely land so that he may plan his approach to the city in the best way. Having little to no knowledge of large military maneuvers and next to no profile of his enemy did not help the young lord.

What made him even more annoyed was that the petite girl known as his lady wife, instead of piping down and going to sleep, as it was already late, has decided practicing with her weapon in the small space of the tent.

Ichigo's anger boiled over when she hit the table with the butt of the spear, toppling over a few of the candles and nearly setting the maps ablaze.

Moving swiftly, he snatched the weapon out of the Arya's hands, which had the decency to look ashamed.

"Just go to bed already. We are moving out early tomorrow."

"Then whine don't you go to bed as well?" she retorted with, her grey eyes glaring defiantly at her orange-haired husband.

"Ah, fine! You are impossible, midget…" Ichigo gave up, deciding that it was indeed late and he was tired, both mentally and physically.

Extinguishing the few candles that were still upright, he found his mat in the dark and quickly snuck beneath the covers, hearing the rustling that signaled that Arya did the same, before closing his eyes and falling into a light sleep.

* * *

Ichigo awoke in the dark tent, obviously in the middle of the night.

It was not unusual for him to wake up late at night, especially now that this idiocy that the people call the war of five kings had begun.

What was the reason for him been awake was that it was cold. Soul-piercing cold. The fact that no one even bothered to light a fire and that it was still raining outside did not help the situation.

What caught his attention was that Arya was curled up in a ball, with the covers of the mat wrapped around her like a cocoon, yet one can easily see that she was shivering.

'_And she is supposed to a northerner'_ sighing probably for the millionth time that day, Ichigo made a decision which he was sure he was going to regret.

He moved his own mat closer to hers before lying back down and embracing her as gently as possible, trying not to wake her up. Putting his own covers above both of them, the orange-head thought that the embarrassment would be over for now.

How wrong he was. Arya, having felt a new source of warmth, decided to snuggle in the arms of the Ichigo, burying her head into his neck.

The young lord stiffened, never having such a contact with the opposite gender, let alone any close physical contact in the past five years since arriving to Westeros.

Still, he could not even bring to consider the reaction of his short-tempered wife once she woke up.

'_Yup, I will most definitely regret this.'_

Needless to say, Ichigo did not get much sleep that night.

* * *

**I want to apologize in advance to any Japanese readers if I butchered their culture too much with my simplified explanations of samurais and the like.**

**Feels like I had not posted anything in months, but midterms are over and I will try, key word, try, to post more regularly.**

**Any helpful reviews are, as always, greatly appreciated, or just leave a short one saying you liked the chapter (if you did ofc.) They help quite a lot. **

**Thank you for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A song of Death Gods and Direwolves - chapter 6**

**I do not own A song of Ice and Fire or Bleach**

* * *

Arya was feeling warm.

It was not the uncomfortable kind of warm, but a relaxing, protective one. She moved her legs a little, one of them leaving the covers only to be hit by the cold outside of them.

Quickly pulling the leg back into the warmth, she snuggled to what she felt was the source of it.

The petite girl could not remember the last time she felt so relaxed. She felt as if she was back in Winterfell, snuggling beneath the heavy covers on a cold morning, not wanting to get up, expecting her mother to burst in at any moment, and make her do all the unpleasant things Arya did not even want to think about.

It also reminded her at the times when her father hugged her, ruffling her always messy hair. She did not want to think about Ned, for it was still too painful and it would inevitably lead to all those who she wanted to kill, all those she was currently heading towards.

The young lady did not want to get up, no matter what. She had no desire to return to the real world, where she was forces into a loveless marriage with a completely unknown person. Seven hells, Arya did not care for love, let alone marriage.

No matter how hard the silver-eyed girl tried, she could not find a real reason to hate her…husband. All the things that she convinced herself to hate him for were childish reasons, and she realized that.

So far he has been nothing but good to her. Sure, he was not exactly affectionate either, and he might have been a little rough on their, ahem, wedding night, but she only had herself to blame for that awkward situation.

Arya had heard what married ladies are supposed to do from Septa Mordane, and she did not like it, not one bit. In the young girl's mind, a married lady was nothing but a glorified cow, staying home and raising children.

But what Ichigo gave her was not something she could say she expected, especially from a bannerman whose loyalty lie with Tywin Lannister.

He let her get away with not wearing a dress, let her learn how to fight, and as much as she hates to admit it, he did not touch her at their wedding night, well in a figurative manner of speech anyway.

Arya tried to clear her mind from the troubles of real life and focus on the pleasant moment she was in at the moment, warm and relaxed.

Just as she was about to go back to sleep, or at the very least, begin napping, she felt that her source of warmth was moving…in a steady rhythm…up and down…as If breathing?

Silver eyes snapped wide open only to be obscured by something orange.

The petite girl brought her hand out from beneath the covers, ignoring the cold on her hand and moved the orange object, now identified as hair, out of the way. She had a feeling what was happening but did not want to confirm it. _'He promised…Liar!'_

Her mind immediately jumping to conclusions, ignoring all other possible reasons for the situation she was in.

Arya came face to face with her sleeping husband, their faces almost touching. Ichigo was laying on his side, one of his arms serving as a pillow for the short-haired girl while the other was wrapped around her waist.

Totally forgetting the warmth and satisfaction she felt not a minute ago, with her mind jumping into high gear, Arya did the only thing she felt was reasonable at the moment.

She brought her legs up and planted them solely into sleeping Ichigo's chest with all the force she could muster. Much to her surprise, she actually managed to move him, quite violently so.

Brown eyes snapping open in alert, quickly zooming to a little angry girl currently glaring at the owner of said eyes.

Arya was already up, having taken a step back from where she was on the ground. She was red faced and was shivering. It was hard to tell if it was from embarrassment, anger or just the cold.

Ichigo knew with just a look at his wife that his last night's prediction was coming true. He probably jinxed it just by thinking it.

Sighing heavily and slowly raising from the ground, turning to face her, wanting to get it over with. They had work to do after all- capitals to protect, royalties to save.

"Just get it over with, midget…" he said in a tired voice, still not entirely up and running after his rude awakening.

"Stop calling me that! And you promised! Liar!" she yelled at him, hands clenched into fists at her side.

"I promised not to touch you in… you know what way, and I did not. You were cold and that's why I did what I did." Ichigo gave her the entire explanation in one go, not wanting to drag on this idiocy, his scowl increasing in size with every single word.

"This is your excuse? I was cold? Ah, you are such an idiot!" Arya stormed out of the tent, not bothering to take anything to keep herself warm in the cold, damp morning.

Ichigo followed her retreating form for a few seconds before collapsing into a chair and sighing heavily, his scowl lessening.

'_Not only am I stuck in this world, now I have to deal with this…'_

But even with all the annoyance that his little spitfire of a wife brought him, he could not help but smile. It resembled way too much his past life to be simply brushed off, constantly arguing and all that.

* * *

In the next few days, Arya stayed as far away from Ichigo as possible. She even slept in Celia's tent. Whenever she was close to him, she either ignored him or outright glared at him.

The blond girl, who has become Arya's personal bodyguard and mentor, having apparently heard the silver-eyed girl's version of the events could not keep the smile of her face every time she caught Arya glaring at Ichigo. Celia understood full well what has happened, and while she did not try to defend her lord in front of Arya, for she saw it was obviously pointless.

They were a day's right from the capital now, and while they were close, they were not the only ones racing towards it.

It was not long after they have set camp for the night that the Tyrell host arrived, much, much larger than the Lannister one.

Ichigo once again had a scowl on his face as he was marching towards the Tyrell boy, still atop his horse, obviously more interested with looking good, rather than setting camp for the night.

"You are Loras Tyrell?" asked Ichigo in a clear and even voice. The flowery armor gave him away, yet the orange-head felt inclined to ask, out of courtesy if nothing else.

"Yes. And who am I speaking to?" he asked in a somewhat arrogant voice. It was obvious that he took one look at Ichigo, and not seeing any major house sigil disregarded him as if he was no one.

"Ichigo Kurosaki of Castamere. The commander of this host… and yours as well."

"What did you say, boy? I will not be commanded by some brat from the lower nobility. Now tell your men to move their camp over there. My men will take this position." He said, turning his back to him, waving the orange-head off.

Ichigo became annoyed. _'It's like dealing with a spawn of Yumichiha and Byakuya.'_

"Hey, pretty boy, catch!"

Loras turned back to Ichigo, only to find a scroll hitting him square in the face. Fumbling trying to catch it, the feminine man looked with anger towards the young lord.

"How dare yo-"

"Read it, you idiot."

The Tyrell boy glared at Ichigo for some effect before doing so.

* * *

_I hereby name lord Ichigo of house Kurosaki, lord of Castamere, to be the commander of the Lannister and Tyrell hosts moving towards King's landing, including anyone else who's loyalty is to the rightful king, Joffrey of house Baratheon, first of his name. Upon arrival in the capital, lord Kurosaki is to take full control of any armed forces there._

_Tywin Lannister_

_Lord of Casterly Rock_

_Warden of the West_

_Hand of the King._

* * *

Ser Loras could only fume, willing the paper to burst into flames with a glare alone.

"Now, now dear brother, there is no need to look so angry." Came a voice from behind the knight, making Ichigo turn and lock eyes with a beautiful, smiling young woman.

The girl had long curly brown hair, wide brown eyes and a rather…shapely figure. She stepped around Loras and came to stand before Ichigo.

"I do not believe we had the pleasure to be introduced, my lord. I am Margery, of house Tyrell."

"Ichigo Kurosaki." Replied the orange-head with a short answer, lacking any of the usual theatrics associated with nobility. With his past experiences, constantly been surrounded by beautiful women, Margery's appearance did not faze him as much as it would have had a few years ago.

Margery then turned to her brother.

"You see, dear brother, we are under the good care of lord Kurosaki here, infamous for his compassion and kindness. There is no need to get angry."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her statement, his scowl somewhat lessening.

It was in that moment that Arya passed nearby with a few of the female samurai around her, catching Loras's attention.

"Why are there women clad in armor here? And why is that ugly girl even carrying a weapon."

Suddenly Loras started feeling pressure on his shoulders, and it was as if the world around him had become silent.

"First of… there are women here because they are soldiers, and I can guarantee you that .one. is worth at least 3 of your men." Ichigo had his head bowed down, his hair covering his eyes.

He took a step towards Loras, an agonizingly slow one.

"And if you ever call my wife ugly again… you are going to discovered that even the highest of flowers will be plucked if deemed an annoyance." He looked back up directly at the knight.

Loras though for a second that he saw Ichigo's eyes flash a golden color, yet he was too scared to even consider it fully, not that he would ever admit it.

"Our apologies, my lord. I am sure my brother did not mean to offend you." Margery said quickly, the smile gone from her face, replaced by a look of concern.

"Hmm." Ichigo turned back and began walking to where his tent was set up.

"Set your camp already and go to sleep. We have a full day's march tomorrow." Said the orange head, not even turning.

The orange-head did not wait for their response. Instead he kept on walking towards the tent, wanting to hide from the world, in a way.

He was unsure why he did what he did. Sure, he did not love Arya, but he could not say he found her ugly. Not even remotely so. She reminded him too much of a certain someone, both in temper and appearance, to be even considered remotely unattractive in his mind.

But looking back at the situation now, Ichigo saw that there was no real reason to have unleashed his powers on the boy. Perhaps the anger that he felt, coupled with the fact that he had not used his powers even remotely in the past few years were too much for this situation.

When he finally entered the tent, he sat down in one of the chair and poured himself a glass of water. Strangely, Ichigo, even although technically of age, was not hell bent on consuming wine like every single noble that he could think of. Even Tywin only passed up the chance to drink wine when he would be working for long.

Taking a large gulp of water with his eyes closed, Ichigo did not notice the girl that was plaguing his thoughts coming into the tent.

* * *

Arya was a mess of thoughts and feelings, to say the least. For the past couple of days that she had spent with the other female members of hew new household, she was constantly convinced that her husband did not lie to her and that he was genuine in his intentions and actions.

While she would never admit it out loud, she slowly started to believe them. If it were any other lord, after the treatment Arya gave him four days ago, she would have fully expected for him to be angry and limit her freedom as much as he can, making her life miserable.

Yet, there was nothing. No anger, no shouting. He did not try to force himself on her. Seven hells, he did not try to make her do, well, anything. If it were a few months ago, Arya would have believed that he was a honorable man, a true knight. She was no Sansa, yet she knew the tales.

Yet, in the last few bloody months her views changed so drastically. She no longer believed anyone besides a Northerner had honor, especially a Lannister loyalist. But the last few days she spent in the camp, along the soldiers, the common folk as some would call them, she was constantly hearing tales.

Tales of a city of extreme beauty where there was peace and prosperity. Where the people were happy and healthy. She had heard of the region of Castamere, even when she was back in Winterfell, of how prosperous and wonderful it was. Of just how much freedom women were allowed there, including practicing combat.

She would lie if she said she did not consider running away from Winterfell and going there on more than one occasion.

Yet, there was one more tale she heard around the war camp.

A tale of a lonely lord from a faraway land with no family by his side.

A lord that never smiled, and had only two expressions of his face- a scowl and a look of sorrow.

Yet, even with all that, said lord was kind and compassionate, caring for the people around him, listening to their problems and doing everything within his power to help them.

Arya could not even imagine what it was like to be completely alone. She thought she was alone now, yet she knew where her family was, that they were still alive.

He did not. The silver-eyed girl did not believe she would be able to continue on living if she had no one.

It was in that moment, that that revelation came to her, that she realized just how awful she was to him.

Not only was he alone, but he was stuck in a marriage with her, Arya Horseface, probably the most undesired girl in the seven kingdoms. And she was not making this marriage easy.

Arya was walking through the camp, her mind swirling with these thoughts when she saw it.

She saw how her husband now only defended her, but outright threatened a lord of a great house in an eye blink. But it was his words that kept on ringing in her head.

"_If you even call my wife ugly again…-"_ Arya could only stare with wide eyes _' He does not think me ugly?!'_

The petite girl knew then that she had to make things right, apologize at the very least. Her pride would suffer for it, but she was a Stark, perhaps not in name anymore, but she has wolf blood through her veins.

Next to her, Celia only smiled, seeing the uneasy look on her lady's face.

* * *

Arya entered the tent, and saw Ichigo drinking water with his eyes closed, not noticing her presence.

"Hey, listen…-"she began, fidgeting with her hand, almost cowering beneath the way his eyes quickly snapped open and stared at her.

"I may have been a little too…harsh… what I want to say is… that I… you know…"

"Get it over with, midget." Arya snapped at that, silver eyes glaring at brown ones. Here she was trying to do something right, and he was barely paying any attention to her.

"I am trying to say I am sorry, you idiot."

There was silence for a few seconds before Ichigo lowered his eyes from their locked gaze.

"You are not the only one." he said, surprising her.

"Huh?" was the intelligent response.

"I more or less forced myself on you. My goal might have been simple, but I did not take your feelings and desires into consideration. I am sorry." He said in a voice so tired, he almost sounded like an old man.

Arya knew at that moment that no matter how hard she tried, she would not be able to bring herself to hate the man in front of her.

"Hey… you know… it's getting dark… and it seems like it will be a cold night…I won't mind if we…you know."

Ichigo snapped his head back up, totally not expecting that. He was unsure what he did expect, that that was most definitely not on the list.

With Arya having slept in another tent for the past few days, there was only one mat in this tent. The petite girl gulped at that. She might have said that in a rush, but not it was too late to back down now.

Ichigo looked at her questionably for a few more seconds, waiting for her to back off from her offer.

When that did not happen, he decided to her it over with. He got up, blowing out the single candle in the tent, plunging it into darkness.

The orange-head knew they would have to start sharing a bed eventually, no matter what either of them wanted.

He found his mat in the dark and laid down, a sleeping yukata and a hakama been the clothes he had already changed in for the night.

He laid on his side, hoping that Arya would indeed back off.

Much to his dismay, she did not, and he felt her lay down snuggle to him, her back to his chest, one of his hands becoming a pillow for her once again.

After a short pause, Ichigo threw the covers over both of them, his other hand coming to rest on her waist.

"You try something funny and I will kill you." She said, her voice losing volume with each word, obviously drifting into slumber.

"Whatever you say… Arya." mumbled Ichigo.

If he was able to see her face, he would have saw that a small smile found its way to her face.

* * *

**Longest chapter yet! a whole...3100 words... :D .**

**I lost count how many times I rewrote this chapter, the final part especially. for some reason I am really tired this week and am constantly falling asleep, yet I wanted to post a chapter, so...this is the result...**

**Before you started saying that Margery should not be in the camp, just considered the final episode of season two of the TV series. The events there, with Tywin been named hand and all that happen directly the next day after the battle, or at the very worst, two days later, since Tyrion had not woken up yet at the time that had happen. Also, you see alot of people still in their armor, which while might be just for show, most people, knights included, do not wear armor to court. And besides, I really doubt Cersei would wait and not push for her father to be named hand over Tyrion as soon as possible.**

**All that simply means is that Margery would be a day's ride at the most from the capital at the time of the battle, and since it's war time, she would not be traveling alone, but rather with her brother's host up to some point, where she would stand back for the actual battle.**

**As always looking forward to any reviews.**

**Thank you for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A song of Death Gods and Direwolves - chapter 7**

**I do not own A song of Ice and Fire or Bleach**

* * *

Ichigo awoke slowly, his back hurting immensely.

He was somewhat used to sleeping on mats and they were in Japanese design, a reminder of home of a sort, but did not change the fact that they were laid down on the ground. A very cold, hard, uneven ground.

No matter how much Ichigo wanted to move around, get his back in working order, to stretch like every normal person early in the morning, the orange head was unable for one simple reason.

His wife, which was currently clinging to him. She looked quite differently now that she was asleep, no trace of the usual glare or defiance. Just a peaceful face of a young girl.

A girl, which Ichigo had to constantly remind himself, was too young for almost all the events she had experience in the past couple of months, least of all her wedding to him.

The most traumatic was probably losing her father, quite possibly in front of her.

The orange head can sympathize with her, greatly at that, having lost his own mother at the age of eleven to unnatural event. Well, unnatural was probably a kind way of putting his mother's fate, but while it still hurt, it is in the past.

No matter how much he did not want to disturb the girl in his arms, to let her sleep and enjoy the few peaceful moments that she had, he knew he had to get up.

After all, they had to reach King's Landing today, even if it meant marching into the night.

At the mention of King's Landing, Ichigo's mood instantly darkened considerably.

He had no doubts that they will win the battle, if they reach the city in time, it was all a matter of how many casualties they will take.

If push comes to shove, he just might unleash his powers on the poor people.

The reason for Ichigo's reluctance to use his shinigami powers was quite simple. Lack of knowledge.

He was in a different world, which while might appear similar, could at the same time be drastically different from the dimensions he knew. Instead of cleansing souls like back in his home world, his power might be the equivalent of Quincy powers here, literally destroying the soul of anyone killed by him.

But in the end, he just might have to do so if he was against Stannis. Before the war, he had heard that the self-proclaimed king was a hard, but honorable man. Yet now, Ichigo was unsure.

There were quite a lot of rumors that the Baratheon has taken up some new religion, and he made human sacrifices.

Ichigo was never one for religion, especially after his afterlife experiences. Add that to the fact that he was raised in a world where a lot more value was put on human life, and Stannis just might find himself on the receiving end of a certain shinigami's wrath.

But he had more pressing matters to attend to. Like a certain silver-eyes girl hugging his arm with all her might.

He put his free hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her.

"Arya. Arya c'mon wake up." He spoke softly.

"Mhm" mumbled out the girl, burring her head into the crock of his neck, much to Ichigo's charging.

"Arya." He said, more firmly now.

"Just a little more, flame head…"

"We have to get up, shorty. Least the army leaves without us."

Groaning loudly, Arya slowly arose , releasing the death grip she had on her husband's hand.

"Now that was not so hard, now was it?"

"Just shut up." Mumbled out the petite girl.

"Now get out. Go do whatever you do in the morning…"

"Excuse me? You woke me up and now you are kicking me out?!" Arya instantly came back to life, glaring at her husband.

"Unlike you, I actually went to bed with clothes meant for bed and now, I have to change. Or you would rather see me naked? And you call me a pervert…"

"I…you..wha.." the girl started stuttering, confused and embarrassed by the development.

Ichigo in turn only sighed heavily and ruffled her already disheveled hair.

"Go get refreshed. We will be leaving soon."

With that Arya more or less rushed out of the room, not turning back. If she did, she would have seen Ichigo smile.

* * *

The now massive army was marching as fast as it could, not even been slowed down by Margery's carriage. That was not to say that the army was running, no. They do have to have strength when they reach the capital.

Ichigo was riding at the front and surprisingly Arya was riding beside him.

For most of the day, they conversed, the orange-headed man listening to tales of Winterfell and a happy childhood. He ,in turn, told her of his home land, bending the truth somewhat.

He went over some of the history, to the believes, the culture, even the names of the people and how they had meanings.

"So what does your name mean?" Arya asked curiously.

"One protector." He replied, smiling softly at the name, the word that defined most of his life.

"And what does Kurosaki mean?" she continued to pester him.

"No exact translation. If we break it down, Kuro means black, and saki means a severe land form, like a cape, although some say it should be written in another way like a female name meaning blooming hope ."

"Is that why you keep your hair long like a girl?" asked the petite girl next to him, smirking smugly.

Ichigo instantly scowled. He did not have any special reason to actually keeping his hair long. He just… liked it that way, even if it was harder to maintain. Much, much harder.

"Anyway… it would be sundown in a few minutes." Began the long-haired male, trying to change the subject "You would have to stay behind with Margery Tyrell and the other Reach ladies."

"But I can fight! Celia thought me! I even had lessons with a Bravossi dancing master." Began protesting the petite girl.

She might not like the king…or queen…or the hand… or anyone with the last name Lannister… but her sister was in King's landing and she had even began warming up to her husband, not that she would ever admit it to herself, let alone out loud, especially to him.

"Training for less than a week does not make you a warrior, Arya." Ichigo could clearly see the disappointment building up in her grey eyes.

"Think of it this way. You would be protecting the frail ladies of the Reach." He said, trying to cheer her up.

"But they are boring! They will probably sit in that stupid carriage all day, sewing stupid roses left and right!" whined the petite girl.

"You are beginning to sound like one of them with the way you are complaining, you know."

"Wha..-"

"It's just for a few hours. As soon as the battle is won I will send for you. I will see that you also see your sister tonight, if you desire."

"Yes! Er... I mean, yes , I would like that."

"Listen, Arya. I understand that you went through a lot these past few months, more than any your girl should, both you and your sister. I cannot undo the past, but I will do everything in my power to protect you both."

Arya was looking at him, unsure how to react. She felt she must say something, yet before she could, he cut her off again.

"We would be increasing the pace soon. You better go and get…acquaintanced with the other ladies-" the silver-eyed girl instantly scowled before Ichigo reached out and ruffled her hair .

"Just be yourself. Don't pretend to be something you are not…you would have to do plenty of that once we reach the capital…"

Arya reluctantly reeled in her horse towards the back of the column, where a large green carriage could easily be seen. Casting a final glance at her husband, she began riding towards the large, green, lumbering annoyance known as a wheelhouse.

Ichigo, after making sure that his wife what he asked of her, turned back forth and shouted with all his voice.

"Double time, men!"

The young lord turned his attention to the setting sun behind his army, casting a golden glow on red, green and black banners. He could not help but wonder if they are fast enough. If they will reach the city in time.

* * *

Tyrion Lannister was standing outside the Mudgate, feeling bigger than ever, with the way the men obeyed him, with the way the men were shouting out his name, or rather his nickname.

It was a new feeling for him. Normally men obeyed him because he either threatened them or paid them. Yet, here, now, it was entirely different. They followed him because they believed in him.

He had just led the city defenders behind the assailants, and they have won, at least for now.

It was then that shouting was heard, and he saw hundreds, if not thousands soldiers loyal to Stannis changing his position.

A melee ensured, and in the chaos Tyrion came face to face with a Kingsguard. The short man smiled at the knight, yet much to his surprise, and horror, the gold-clad knight raised his sword and took a clumsy slash as him, scarring his face.

Before he could deliver the finishing blow, a spear found its way into the Kingsguard's head, courtesy of Podrick, Tyrion's squire.

Speaking of Tyrion, the injured man slowly fell to the dirt, barely registering that his squire lifting him, the little lord's face bleeding profoundly.

His vision became a haze, a symphony of green and black created by the night and still burning Blackwater.

And it was in that symphony that they appeared.

Like shadows, they came from the darkness, clad in black, with a skull banner raised high. Some even had skull-like mask on their faces, pure white and grinning ominously.

They clashed into the Baratheon loyalists, cutting them down like a scythe through wheat.

Tyrion was not conscious long enough to see the emergence of the Lannsiter and Tyrell banners from the darkness, his last memories of the battlefield been the way death itself came to it.

* * *

Back on Dragonstone, Melisandre was gazing into her flames.

On her king's request, she did not accompany him for the attack, yet that did not mean she could not try follow him though the powers gifted to her by her god.

She saw the way that the Blackwater became a green inferno and she curse internally. If only she was there….

Yet all is not lost, not yet. She continued to keep track of the battle as best as her flames allowed her, and for a while, it seemed as if Stannis would indeed win.

But it was then that he appeared.

Melisandre clearly saw the army that came, Lannister, Tyrell and someone else, yet clearly human. But when she looked at the one leading them, she took a step back.

A figure, clad in black robes, a sharp contrast to his bone-white skin. In his hand, a sword, so dark it seem to adsorb all the light around it.

But what truly frightened the red priestess was the face of this entity.

A grinning, bone-white mask was on it, yellow eyes peering from beneath the eye sockets, and for a moment, they seemed to be looking directly at her.

It was then that the priestess was thrown back by the flames and onto the ground. When she got back up, she saw a sight she would remember forever. The normal flames were no more. In their place stood black flames with a red outline, as if warning her not to continue looking.

Luckily, Melisandre had no longer any need to look. She knew how the battle ended, especially with the arrival of the Lannister and Tyrells. But that was not what was on her mind…

'_Just…what was that…?'_

* * *

Queen Cersei was sitting on the Iron Thrones, Tommen in her lap. She was telling him an elaborate story, playing with the sigils of the great houses, trying to distract her son so that she may put him to sleep… permanently.

Much to her horror, it was then that the double doors burst open and a knight in full Baratheon plate rushed into the thrones room, surrounded by Tyrell men.

Unsure at first, the queen's spirit began to rise as soon as she spotted the red-clad men directly behind the Tyrell ones. Lannister men. The knight, which by now, had removed his helmet, revealed a face that did not match a Baratheon, or anyone from the Stormlands at that.

All of them parted and a man walked forward.

A tall man, clad completely in black, with long orange hair let loose around his shoulders, a long black sword in his hand, slowly dripping blood onto the marble floor.

Cersei remembered him, having seen him once when she visited her father and he was at Casterly Rock to speak about something with the old lion.

"The battle is over… the city is safe…your grace" he said simply in a tired, yet strong voice, echoing across the empty room.

The blond queen could only cry tears of joys as she hugged her child with all her might.

* * *

**Notes: **

**1) Ichigo was not actually with his hollow mask on, Melisandre just saw it that way.**

**2) My apologies to any Japanese people, but those were the best translations I could find, and I could not resist the joke that would have come up with the second way of writing Saki.**

**Now then, apologies to anyone expecting a massive battle scene, but I don't feel confident enough in my puny skills to write one as of yet.**

**I might do a Robb PoV chapter at some point soon, but it would most definitely not be the next one.**

**As always, looking forward to any reviews.**

**Thank you for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A song of Death Gods and Direwolves - chapter 8**

**I do not ow- you know what? Fanfiction should write an automatic declaimer! I am too tired to write one. Instead, here is a bit of a rant 10 times the size of the declaimer.**

* * *

The throne Room had a change in decoration practically overnight. The entire hall was bathed in red light, coming from the great Lannister Banners hanging just in front of the windows, transparent enough just for light to pass through without it been too bright.

There were also three other sets of banners in the room.

Two half-red-half-golden banners with both a Lion and a Stag were hanging on both sides of the Iron Throne. Around the middle of the hall, two green banners with a golden rose could be seen, hanging on the side of the wall, looking small amongst the red ones next to them, as if pushed back from the rest.

But it was the two standing on the side of the double doors that were truly massive. They were extremely long, black as night, attached nearly to the ceiling, yet touching the floor, a stylized white skull standing upon them, as if looking over the throne room, glaring at anyone looking even near the banners.

"I, Joffrey of the house Baratheon, Rightful King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven and Protector of the Realm, do hereby proclaim Ichigo, of house Kurosaki, Lord of Castamere to be the savior of this city and defender of the crown." (1)

Said the blond king, seated upon the metal monstrosity known as the Iron Throne. Even if it was the day after the battle, most people were still in their armors, yet cleaned nobles around were smiling, been in high spirits, as if a bloody battle was not won but a few hours ago. As if there were areas of the Blackwater not still on fire, as if the beach in front of the Mudgate was not still lithered with thousands rotting corpses…

No. Everyone was focus on the young lord clad in black clothing in the middle of the room.

Ichigo was kneeling in front of the King and Queen-Reagent, down on one knee, his sword pulled out of his belt along with the scabbard, laid on the ground to his left. The orange-head had trained Karate as a child, yet he saw plenty of Kendo competitions, been a Japanese. He knew the basic etiquette in handling a sword. (2)

"If there is anything that you wish, my lord, speak out now. If it is within our power we shall grant it." Spoke Cersei, smiling softly. It was not the usual smug smile, but a genuine one. After all, she was talking to the man that saved her and her children's lives. Who knows what she would have done, if the orange-haired lord had been a second late in entering the throne room the previous night.

"All I want, your grace, is for this war to end…" said Ichigo, rising slowly, meeting the eyes of the queen. Cheers rang through the hall, the people surprised, pleasantly, at the wish of the young lord. Most people would have wanted something of great value if they had the king offering them a favor.

Yet, here he was, this black-clad lord, practically rejecting such the offer.

"I assure you, all our means are directed towards just that, my lord." Said Cersei.

Ichigo only nodded, not really expecting a different answer then this court theatrics that he received. He slowly stepped back, coming to stand next to Peter Bealish. For some reason, the shinigami received a really bad vibe from the man next to him, as if he was even more dangerous than the fool standing on the Iron Throne.

It was this very man that the king called for next, appointing him lord of the greatest ruin, err…castle, in the land, Harrenhal.

One lame joke later, courtesy of Baelish, and we find ourselves looking at the kneeling form of Loras Tyrell.

Ichigo did not speak much with the Reach knight, and for the few conversations that they had, Loras treated the orange-head with cold contempt, as if waiting for an opportunity to come on top. His sister, on the other hand, was a different matter.

She kept glancing in Ichigo's direction. The lord of Castamere spoke only two times with her, the first been their introductions. What impression she left in Ichigo was that she was courteous and gentle, not to mention beautiful, yet the way she commander her brother around spoke of something more.

Ichigo watched with some amusement how the events unfolded before him. How Joffrey pretended to be righteous and good, loyal to his betrothed and to the gods. The orange-head came to the conclusion that no matter the world, politics would be politics, especially with the way Sansa Stark was set aside, exploiting every little back door there is.

Still, that worked in his favor as well. Now that the elder Stark daughter was no longer tied to the throne, it would be easier for him to protect her, to keep his promise to his wife.

Speaking of his wife, he cast a glance to the side of the hall, where she was standing next to her sister, a few Kurosaki household soldiers standing behind her. Arya was reluctantly dressed in a black kimono with pink flower petal around the ends of the extremely long sleeves (3), the unique design of the whole 'dress' catching more than one look.

Her face was constantly morphing. Ichigo had warned her to remain impassive at court and answer kindly to anyone, no matter the question. Yet Arya, been Arya, was undoubtedly happy that her sister was free from Joffrey and was finding it hard not to grin.

In the end, she was saved by Sansa moving away from the railing they were standing on, and pretending to be the good little sister, she followed her.

Ichigo concealed a sigh. The two sisters met last night, and while Ichigo was only present at the beginning, it was obvious to anyone looking their way that they were both extremely tense. After all, the last time they probably had spoken to each other was shortly before the massacre of the Stark household, way back before this whole mess started, or rather at the start of it.

What they had said to each other, the young lord did not know, but they were obviously in a lot better disposition to one another.

* * *

**Night after the battle (from here till the end of the chapter)**

Arya was walking through the Red Keep, the whole place bringing nothing but painful memories.

Her husband was true to his promises. He had won the battle, send for her as soon as he did so, and by the time she arrived, he had arranged for her to meet her sister.

'_Sansa…'_ Arya was both looking forward to this, yet, at the same time, she did not want to even thing about it. She would be lying if she said she had a good relationship with her sister, but at the same time, she was family. The only family that the young Stark will probably see for quite some time.

Ironically, her sister was waiting for her in the very throne room of the Red Keep.

By the time she arrived, her husband has taken full control over the entire castle, if not the entire city, and she could see groups of soldiers in red with a warrior in black leading them. Even the massive double doors to the throne room were flanked by Kurosaki soldiers, both of them bowing upon seeing her, much to her annoyance.

When she finally entered the room, it was breathtakingly beautiful, yet ominous at the same time. The green fires from the still burning Blackwater casting an emerald light over the white marble floor and red pillars that were the main motives for the throne room. The whole room was empty, even the massive braziers at the base of the columns were slowly dying out.

Celia, who has been tailing the petite girl so far, stayed outside in the hall, giving her lady some privacy. In the short time that she had served Arya, the blond warrior had become a friend, a mentor and a bodyguard to the short-tempered girl.

Once fully inside, the silver-eyed lady spotted her husband standing with his back to her, conversing with someone she could not see. She did not hear what he was talking about, for as she neared, Ichigo turned to face her, revealing the humble form of her elder sister.

Sansa's face looked a mix of emotions, each overlaying above the other. There was still lingering fear, be it from the battle or…something else… There was also relief and even happiness if the way her blue eyes twinkled when she laid eyes on Arya was anything to go by.

Arya finally came to stand next to the two of them and there was silence, no one daring utter a single word.

Ichigo smiled softly, yet none of the two girls saw it. He knew that they both had missed each other, but they both had different reasons for not expressing it outright. Arya was simply too stubborn for open affection like that, while Sansa, from the short conversation that Ichigo had with her, he quickly realized that she was simply too reserved and constantly thinking of the way she said things.

Ichigo left them there without a sound, in the middle of the massive throne room. He had one more thing to check upon before he called in the night. A certain small man, which no one would recognize his contribution for the battle, no matter if it was him that technically defended the city while Ichigo's host was still on the march.

* * *

Arya and Sansa stood awkwardly in front of on another long after Ichigo had left, no one meeting the others eyes. Eventually, it was Sansa that spoke.

"You look well, Arya, but what happened to your hair?" she asked, finally meeting her sister's eyes.

"I had to cut it to escape King's Landing…" said Arya, not really wanting to tell all her story now.

Silence descended once again, neither one unsure of what to say next. With finally looking her sister in the face, Arya saw the numerous marks upon it. Traces of bruises along her cheeks, little cuts along her lips and many other scars adored it, yet the older girl remained beautiful.

Arya opened her mouth to ask her about them, yet caught herself in time.

"You got married." Began the red-headed sister, wanting to speak with her sister, no matter the theme, just to have a conversation going.

"Yes…"sighed the silver-eyed one, somehow knowing this was going to come up sooner or later.

"What is it like?" asked Sansa, sounding genuinely interested, her voice slipping back to her childish one for a moment, as if she was still that naïve little girl that listen to beautiful songs about knights and ladies from dawn till dusk.

"Not as bad as I thought it would be. He made some promises, and so far he has kept them all. He even defended me! Me! Arya Horseface!"

"Arya! You should not say that!" said a shocked Sansa.

"Why? You and Jeyne Poole called me that plenty of times…"

"But you are a real lady now…"

It was silent for a little while before both sister smiled. They felt as if they were back before all this started, bickering about pointless things on every occasion.

"We should go to bed… I have been riding all day while you did…whatever you did in this boring city…" said the silver-eyed girl.

"Arya…" came Sansa's response. The elder sister smiled before wrapping her younger sibling into a hug, much to the silver-eyes girl's annoyance. But that was not to say that Arya did not return the embrace. They both began moving to the exit where Celia was still waiting for her lady to escort her to her and Ichigo's chamber, the youngest girl having some knowledge of the Red Keep, but not enough.

Both sisters parted, each heading her own way. What surprised Sansa was that Arya ordered the two men guarding the throne room to escort her.

* * *

Ichigo has just entered his room. It was nothing that special, yet infinitely better than the tent or the ruins of Harrenhal he had to sleep in for the past couple of weeks. He quickly removed what little armor he wore and stripped down, leaving himself only in a hakama.

The carts have not been unloaded yet, so he did not have that much choice in what to sleep in.

Not even bothering to arrange the armor that he simply piled onto a chair, Ichigo slipped beneath the covers , trying to fall asleep, yet he kept remembering the faces of all those that had met the wrong end of his sword that night. Ichigo was not new to killing, having to do more than one execution since coming to Westeros, before he changed the laws, but it was one thing killing a criminal with a severe crime, it was another to kill a soldier on a battlefield.

To some, it would be the other way around, but Ichigo, with his enhanced reflexes, was able to clearly see the faces of all those he had the misfortune to end that night. He knew that some of them would rape, kill and steal upon entering the city, but not everyone. What Ichigo could only wonder was it really worth it, for in the end of the day, they are just men following orders, fighting in a war that has little to no meaning to them.

Ichigo was broken out of his thoughts by someone entering the room.

He rose a little and saw a small silhouette in the dark room. Quickly coming to the conclusion that it was his wife, he fell back down to the bed and closed his eyes. He felt her get beneath the covers, not undressing a single bit once again, before she snuggled up to him.

Arya flinched for a second when she felt his naked chest against her hands, but she slowly continued with her actions. None of them spoke a word, yet did not fall asleep immediately. They were too tired to speak, and in the end, there was not that much to speak about.

What they were both sure is that none of them were looking forward to tomorrow, where they would have to pretend they are something they are not, playing all this court theatrics, in front of _brave_ and _noble_ lords that were probably cowering in a sept during the battle, with one excuse or another, and ladies that were more or less judgmental at first glance.

And then, there was the king and queen…

* * *

**Happy Game of Thrones Season IV...day...thingy...**

**Some Q&A:**

**Wal Otter: Your brought up the question of which Universe I am basing the story: Books or Movies. **

** The Answer is I am MAINLY basing it on the TV series, but I might put a few books elements in. I tagged it under the books tags because it seemed that this tag had more stories under it, and I believe that GoT and ASOI&F should be under one story tag, with a different filter tag to distinguished books-based, TV-based or both universes.**

**Coolgirl (kinda late, sorry): Did I age Sansa as well?**

**No, I did not. I aged only Arya up to the age of 13, while I believe Sansa turned 14 somewhere around the middle of season 2 in terms of TV-series time. The whole reason for aging was to avoid the underage (In Westeros standards anyway...) zone, even if I don't plan to write any sexual content (or even sexually suggestive (although I might fail at that one))**

**Notes:**

**(1) I had to give Ichigo some 'titles'. Not the most creative ones out there, but they are not that important anyway.**

**(2) I do not claim to understand fully Japanese customs and culture, but to my limited knowledge, when an armed man is kneeling or sitting on the ground, he takes out his sword along with the scabbard from his sash and lays it on the ground next to him, the blade pointing towards him, the guard on level with his knee.**

**(3) Google Furisode if you have trouble picturing it.**

**As always, reviews are dearly welcomed.**

**Thanks for reading and a happy new GoT season.**


	9. Chapter 9 (rewritten)

**A song of Death Gods and Direwolves Chapter 9**

**I do not own A song of Ice and fire or Bleach**

**It is mostly the same as the previous chapter 10. The difference starts from where Orihime enters during Tyrion's PoV.**

* * *

Cersei Lannister was standing on one of the many lavish terraces of the Red Keep, looking over the miserably city that she ruled over. Even from her vantage point, high above the simple folk, she could smell them.

The smell of decay, excremations and all else unclean. The smell went quite nicely with the muddy streets and brown building along the tight, filth-packed streets. Young maidens and sometimes even lord from lesser houses always imagined the capital as something grand, a place where all the people were dressed their finest and knights in shining armors roamed the streets, protecting the innocent and upholding the law in the king's name.

'_If only they knew…'_ though the golden-haired queen reagent, taking a large drink from her wine goblet, the rich smell of the wine hitting her, temporarily drowning out the stench that came from the streets below. Still, with the Tyrell aid the smell had lessened somewhat in the past few days, with all the food they provided and the manpower to take care of the deceased.

Just thinking about the Tyrells brought an instant scowl to the beautiful woman's face. The way that Margery appeared at court for the very first time, dressed as nothing more but a common whore, speaking things that were too much of a theatric even by Cersei's standards, yet for some reason, her golden prince seemed to believe them. In the end, boys will be boys, she supposed. Give them a pretty girl to look at and they forget all reason. Still, the capital would have fallen had it not been for the Tyrell aid, not that Cersei would ever admit it.

It would always be Lord Kurosaki that rushed into the throne room, all bloodied, yet standing tall and proud, victorious in her name. That handsome, never smiling young lord would always be her savior, the one who saved her children. If only he was not already married, she might have considered certain actions when she finally steps down from her position as queen reagent. No matter how much she wanted, Cersei knew that she cannot rule forever, and with the way that the Tyrells have been pushing towards the wedding, this might happen quite soon. Jaime been gone from the capital was not helping his case, either.

Cersei once more looked over the city that she had called home for the past years and this time it was the mud gate that caught her attention, a black banner raised high above it. She saw black dots stand unmoving on it, ever vigilant. She had to give credit where credit is due, the efficiency and speed with which the Kurosaki household seized control of the military in the city was nothing short of impressive.

From the terrace that was overlooking the city, Cersei could easily see the wrecks of Stannis's fleet and the dead bodies around them, some rotting and slowly drifting in the water, others impaled on different protruding pieces of wood from the remains of the once mighty fleet, seagulls circling around them as if vultures. The lioness could not help but smirk, looking over this morbid picture. Who would have thought that her little, useless, stunted fool of a brother would be able to come up with such an efficient plan against the invaders.

She took another large mouthful of the rich red liquid before looking back forth, feeling a gentle sea breeze, temporarily removing the stench of the city, drowning it in the aroma of the sea. She came to stand on the railing, basking in the feeling of the wind dancing upon her skin, her eyes closed.

For a second, she allowed herself to forget the troubles that came with her title and simply relax, high above over what used to be a battlefield.

* * *

His face hurt, a lot, and he had to resist scratching the enormous gash that marred it. He felt as if it was burning, yet having the cold winds of the North on it at the same time. A strange, perverse mix of feelings, as if send by the gods to taunt him, for apparently been a stunted dwarf was not enough for them. He had to become a deformed maimed one as well…

Tyrion's bitterness was not made any better by the fact that he, the hand of the king, had to waddle all the way to the other side of the Red Keep, only to speak with one of his father's banner man, a lesser lord…

His mood has been bad since the day he woke up after the battle, Pycele leaning above him with a greasy grin on his old wrinkled face. What made matters worse was that neither Pod, nor Bronn were around, and he had to resort to shouting to get himself out of this unpleasant situation. Still, he supposed he should be grateful for it was probably Pycele that saved what was left of his face.

He finally reached his destination, a set of double doors been the only obstacle left on his journey. Tyrion reached out and slowly pushed the door open and came into a large, open room with a table and two chairs to the side been the only furnishing, while the room was connected to a terrace only half the size of the room…only.

One of the chairs was occupied by Sansa Stark, the poor girl looking so much more healthier than the last time he had seen her. An open book was in her hand, but she was not looking at it. Instead, she was starring in what could have been silent awe at the way her wolf-blooded sister sparred with her Lord-Husband, the man Tyrion came here to meet.

Tyrion moved to sit on the chair on the other side of the table, his presence completely unnoticed by all three people in the room. As soon as he took his seat, his eyes began following the duel, his eyes quickly widening at the sight.

Not even when his brother, Jaime Lannister, the famous Kingslayer fought, had he seen such…grace. The Kurosaki lord moved with such precious and swiftness, yet his movements were fluid, his sword never stopping. And while the young Stark daughter was obviously a novice, she was slowly, but surely getting there. It was easy to see that the young girl had trouble spinning the large polearm-like weapon, nearly two heads above her height, but nevertheless, she was able to keep up with her husband, even if he was most likely holding back a great deal.

In the end, it was the almost feral smile on the young girl's face that brought a smile to Tyrion's own face.

Most people only known him as the heartless, wicked imp of a Lannister, the most cruel family in the realm, fighting for the top with the Boltons of the North. However, the truth was that while Tyrion liked to indulge into the more… primal activities of the night with the priestesses of pleasure, he was by no means heartless. The short-statured man understood the situation that both Stark sisters had to endure during the last few months since their father's execution.

One on the run with a band of Night's watch recruits, only to end with his lord-father and marry a complete stranger, while the other was stuck in the capital with his royal nephew. Perhaps the Old Gods were the real ones, if both girls had survived such ordeals.

Tyrion was broken out of his mussing by the end of the dance of death in front of him, the orange-haired boy easily disarming his petite wife, the spear flying away from her hands, thankfully in the opposite direction of Tyrion and Lady Sansa.

To his surprise, the elder sister jumped from her seat and started clapping in delight, the book falling to the ground.

Deciding to make his presence know, Tyrion started clapping as well.

"Well fought, my lord, milady." He said, not rising from his seat, yet catching the attention of all three.

"You are the imp!" said Arya, her eyes taking on a form that could almost be described as sparkling.

Tyrion was confused. His status as a dwarf is usually the first thing that people notice, after all it is kind of hard to miss, but the way that this little girl reacted was not what he would call the standard. She looked almost…happy.

"Arya! You cannot speak to Lord Tyrion that way! He has been most kind during his stay here…" Sansa began, outraged at her sister's comment, yet her voice kept losing volume as she went on, remembering the not-so pleasant moments of her stay in the capital.

"It is ok, lady Sansa, I assure you. There are much worse things that I have been called. And I am sure Lady Kurosaki meant no ill by it."

Arya had the decency to look ashamed after the two comments, fidgeting in her spot. Ichigo, who has been silent so far, sheeted his sword and moved to take a cup of water from the single table in the room.

"Why are you here, lord Tyrion?" asked the orange-head after taking a large mouthful of the water.

Indeed, it would seem unnecessary for Tyrion to come here, Ichigo having already seen to the Hand receiving his father's orders. _'I am afraid for my life, that's why.' _though Tyrion.

"With the battle of the Blackwater won, the court had become a little too much for me in recent time. Surely you understand, my lord." Ichigo eyed the smaller man seated in front of him for a moment before nodding. He had spoken with the little Lannister's squire when he had first come to deliver the message from Tywin, way back at the night of the battle. The boy, Podric, told him that it was a kingsguard that dealt Tyrion's wound, and there are only two people that can command the kingsguard…

A knock was heard from the door and before anyone can respond, the intruder invited himself in. Or rather, herself in.

Margery Tyrell, came in through the door, a blue dress with a rose sash hugging her figure. A dress that would be more appropriate in the free cities rather than the capital. Still, Tyrion had to admit, she was beautiful, even if those blue eyes of her unnerved him a great deal. They were like his dear sister's eyes, yet held a higher level of intelligence behind them.

"Oh, my!" she began, a smile founding its way to her face. Her eyes initially went to Sansa, yet they quickly shifted to the petite form of Arya, who by now had picked up her spear and was resting, leaning on it. The Tyrell girl had a fascination in her eyes, and Tyrion had trouble distinguishing if it was genuine or a front.

"You are lady Arya! I did not have the pleasure of meeting you on our way here." Tyrion expected that she was referring to the time when the petite Stark had to travel with the Reach ladies on her way here, when the men rode out to the battle. The little Lannister found it astonishing that they have not met, considering the circumstances, but then again, looking at the Stark, err, Kurosaki girl, it would not surprise him if she was riding at the very front of those left behind while Margery stayed in a wheelhouse.

Poor Arya was unsure how to react. She was standing there in a male dress, albert one of her husband's culture, yet male nonetheless, her appearance absolutely disheveled, while lady Margery was the true appearance of a young lady, a sharp contrast to the petite Stark. She was thankfully saved by the awkwardness by the Tyrell girl changing the topic.

"I came looking for lady Sansa, hoping she would share a walk with me in the gardens?" she asked, turning back to the flame-haired girl sitting next to Tyrion, finally revealing her, supposedly, real purpose.

The small man heard a glass been put down on the table and when he turned his attention towards the source, he found Ichigo looking at the Tyrell girl with a look that was a mix of distrust and suspicion, his brown eyes looking as if they were looking right through the blue-clad girl. Varys, that came to him shortly after he woke up, revealed to Tyrion that the orange-head had promised to protect his sister-in-law, and now that she was no longer betrothed to Joffrey, his work was made easier, but still not a simple one by a long shot. They were in King's Landing, after all.

Speaking of the poor Stark girl, she was entirely oblivious to any other motive that the Reach girl might have had. She smiled happily, an expression that Tyrion had rarely seen on her face during their joined stay at the capital, if he had at all.

"Ofcourse, lady Margery, it would be my pleasure" said the elder Stark daughter, nearly jumping from her chair. Tyrion could have sword there was even a slight skipping to her step as she moved to stand next to Margery.

Sansa bid her farewell to her sister and brother-in-law, ever courteous even though they were family.

Tyrion was left in a room with an awkward feel to it. He cannot even begin to imagine the mess that was the life of the Kurosaki boy, having to marry one so young, and by the looks of it, not one to easily handle, either. In the end, he rose up to leave, the fact that there was no wine in the room urging him even more to end this scene.

"I hope to see you soon, my lord." Said Tyrion, shaking hands with the tall man. Ichigo once again only nodded, yet it was enough for small Lannister. Somehow, for some reason, he felt safe around the boy, a laughing notion to an outsider considering Tyrion was hand of the king, second in power after his dear nephew in the entire seven kingdoms.

As he was at the door, he heard the banter that many said accompanied the Kurosaki couple.

"It was not bad, midget. Yet you are still using too much strength. You let your anger get the best of you, again." Said the young lord.

"Shut it, flame-head. You cheated!" came the response of Arya, seemingly forgetting that Tyrion had not fully exited the room yet, what was left of her courtesy flying out of the window.

"Whatever you say, short stuff…" a female shout was heard, followed by footsteps, and not a second later, the sound of steel on steel rang out behind the small Lannister.

Tyrion smiled as he closed the door from the outside. It was certainly a lively relationship that those two had, and he was sure they would bring a much needed change from the everyday plotting in the capital.

Now, as he began walking away, humming a random tune that he composed on the go, he decided he had to find Bronn and wine…whichever came first.

* * *

**I woudn't really call this a re-write, but it is a start.**

**Yes, in the end, I decided to go with the rewrite. Alot of people brought up valid points, and I guess I simply did not want to post a separate story for my Orihime idea and tried to merge them. Obviously, not as great as I hoped for.**

**Just to note a few of those points. Ichigo can singlehandedly take on armies of Westeros, he did not need more assistance. Also, Arya and Ichigo's relationship is still not strong enought to be put under the strain of Orihime's presence, a girl that openly admits she loves our favorite shinigami right before the arch that I decided to bring them from. Another point commonly use is that Orihime is way too gentle and naive for Westeros, but I fail to see how she is different than Sansa in the beggining. Infact, I would go as far as to say that she is better of, considering she is familiar with death.**

**For now, I think one more PoV chapter from different characters than out main pair before we return to them.**

**Hope this was better than the original ones.**

**Looking forward to review and thank you for reading.**


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